Multi-Table Tournaments: Tactics for Stage 1.

This article discusses which tactics to employ in the early stages of a multi-table tournament (MTT). The early stages of the tournament of which we are discussing, is the time between the very start of the tournament up until the bubble (-the bubble is “the point at which only one player must bust out before all others win some money”).

 

This phase is becoming more and more important as the tournament games become increasingly popular. The beginning stage of the tournament can last for around four hours now, after which the middle of the tournament will begin. This is why it is important to take your time and not make any errors by attempting to double your stack in the first stage.

 

There is nothing wrong with wanting to play aggressively; aggression can be a very important quality to bring to the poker table. But, there is a huge difference between being aggressive and check-raising to the point of going all-in with a high pair. Patience is an important part of poker, especially in MTT’s.

 

Before beginning a round, make sure that you understand thoroughly the type of MTT you are playing in, for example, whether it is a $3 with re-buys, or a $162 Nightly Hundred Grand, and try to adjust your tactics in relation to the type of tournament you are playing in.

 

In a Freeze-out tournament at $5 it is best not to bluff very often during the first stages of the game. This is due to the fact that certain opponents find it hard to fold on a hand such as a top pair. Phil Gordon has said “It’s difficult to bluff someone who doesn’t pay much attention to the game”, thus a bluff at this moment in the tournament is dangerous- if you decide to bluff, though, be certain to have some outs and do not risk more than 30% of your stack. This is the main point that separates a freeze-out tournament from a guaranteed tournament.

 

Guaranteed tournaments on some websites have stacks which are doubled from the start in relation to the majority of normal MTT’s. Here, try playing with your opponents chips, rather than your own (i.e. the ones you have managed to win). By adopting this strategy you are likely to be able to stay in the game longer.

 

Position:

An important aspect relating to MTT’s is that of position. The majority of players understand the importance of position and how to exploit it. Your absolute position is the one you are in after the flop, by taking into consideration the position of the original player who raised. During the first stages of the tournament (especially small buy-ins), you will often find yourself in a round with five other players.

 

Say that you are in the first stages of a guaranteed tournament and that your first two cards are the 7 and 8 of diamonds at the button. You may say to yourself “I’ll be able to crack two aces in this position”. You arrive in this context where the blinds are of 10/20, the player under the gun folds, two other players fold and the player at the cut-off raises 100, in a normal freeze-out tournament, you should then fold this hand because you are risking too many of your chips.

 

However, in a tournament where the prize-pool is guaranteed you could play this hand, but beware that this move can bring you a lot of problems. Here, you have a good position pre-flop, but after the flop this will no longer be the case. There is no doubt, you do not meet this hand and you tempt seeing a flop that is the least expensive that it can be.

 

Nonetheless, simply paying the amount is not the best solution. But many players do make this mistake. But see if you have paid at this point. Once having paid, the other players will have the odds and you will see that all the other players pay. The flop gives a 5 and 6 of diamonds and the Queen of Spades; this is not a bad flop for you. If the player at the cut off holds an Ace of Spades and an Ace of Diamonds, here you can take his stack if a 9 of Spades arrives at the turn. But what is likely to happen? Everybody check, most of the time, up until the initial raise that sends a C-bet.

 

AS you can appreciate, you will now be in the worst of positions and many players will follow in order to see a player beginning to speak make a check-raise to take the money that was once yours. Because when this type of situation arises, your hand will be effectively dead, unless you want to risk all your chips on a deal. On the other hand, if the flop was a 5 and 6 of diamonds and the Queen of Spades, you have a good enough hand to raise because you are favourite against no-matter which overcard. But to come back into an important position, if you take the preceding example and that you are seated in MP+1, you will be in the best position there is because all the other players should check at the initial raise and re-raise.

 

Strong hand, and now what?

Another important aspect of the game is to now how to negotiate when you have a strong hand. My council is this: do not risk your entire stack at the beginning of a tournament. I have seen, more and more, players going all-in at the pre-flop from the first stages of the tournament with a good hand like the Queen of Clubs and the Queen of Diamonds that comes face to face with a Jack of Clubs and a Jack of Diamonds. To me this is more akin to gambling than to a strategic poker game.

 

If you have a Queen of Spades and a Queen of Diamonds at the start of the round and that a player folds, whereas another player goes all-in, this will be an ‘easy fold’. Even if you are face to a LAG player with an Ace and Jack, there is always the possibility that an Ace appears in the game to eliminate it from you. Of course, you will at one time or another be faced with a ‘flip-of-the-coin-decision’, but here is not the place to take it. Nonetheless, there are other situations where it will pay off- the end of the tournament.

 

Playing passively:

What this means is that you should fold often and not to defend your blinds. Imagine that you are in big blind at the third level of the tournament with blinds of 30/60. Everybody folds at the button which raises at 180.  You both have a stack equivalent to 4000 chips. You throw a cautious eye over your cards and see the Ace of Hearts and the 9 of Hearts. Leave this hand be. Except in the case where you think that you are close to a steal of the blind. You can not play marginal hands outside of this position and thus risk a good portion of your stack. Paying here is a bad tactic. Another advantage of folding your big blind is that the player at the button will think that it is easy to steal the blinds and will not stop stealing them in position. So, once you have folded the majority of the time, a bluff will function a lot better if you have folded all the previous turns.

 

Conclusion:

During the first stages of the game, it is preferable to play the ‘premium’ cards, such as AK, KK, AA. Use your position to maximise you wins while losing the minimum amount of chips.

 

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